SYRACUSE — Planning for the future is the catalyst for the new $4.3 million Syracuse fire station at 3000 W. 1950 South.

"We've outgrown where we're at," Syracuse Fire Chief Craig Cottrell said of the current station at 1787 S. 2000 West.

Groundbreaking for the new, two-story, 22,500-square-foot station was held this past Thursday.

It will take approximately a year to complete the new station.

"It's almost at the dead geographical center of the city," Cottrell said.

He said no tax increase is planned for the new building, to be paid for with a municipal revenue bond approved by the City Council months ago.

The tentative name for the facility is the Fremont Fire Station because of the adjacent Fremont Park.

Reducing response times is an important aspect of the facility. He said the average city response time will be two to three minutes, and five minutes or less should be the maximum.

"It will give us better fire protection," he said. "It will keep (homeowner) insurance costs down."

The new building will also feature a training tower and a search-and-rescue practice area. This means firefighters can train more on-site, instead of leaving the city.

Still another advantage will be storage. Currently the fire department can't keep all of its equipment out of the weather, or from jamming public works storage areas. The new facility will keep it all inside. The city has a new fire truck on order that should arrive later this spring. Otherwise, existing equipment will be housed at the new facility — no new equipment will be needed at first.

In fact, Cottrell said the facility will be a bit too large for the city's needs initially, but it will grow into it as the city's population goes from its current 24,000 to at least 40,000 at estimated build-out. He predicts Syracuse could use the building for 50 years.

With six bays, the station will be one of the largest in north Davis County. In comparison, Kaysville's fire station has five bays.

The former fire station will maintain one bay for fire protection. Otherwise, that building and the old city hall will be remodeled into a city police station.

Soil samples were done on the new 2.2-acre site, and Cottrell said the structure will be earthquake resistant.

Syracuse currently has 26 firefighters — 10 full time and 16 part time.

Cottrell said Syracuse has been lucky the past year in avoiding major fires. However, he said that while Syracuse may look safe with its predominance of new homes, new homes tend to burn hotter and faster than older residences.

He also said Syracuse's growing retail area includes much more than just RC Willey, which was the city's only major business for many years.

Regarding future fire substations, he said if the next section of Legacy Highway is ever built, the city will likely consider a station on the west side to allow for division by the new major highway. Syracuse's expanding retail area may also need a fire substation someday.

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